


Ad Astra

by AXEe



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate History, Gen, Outer Space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:00:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25700989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: Hello all! More original work from me! Enjoy! :=)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	Ad Astra

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! More original work from me! Enjoy! :=)

**October 4 1957:** The Soviet Union successfully launches the first artificial satellite Sputnik 1 into orbit and begins to transmit radio signals. This event begins the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States.

**November 3 1957:** The Soviet Union launches the first living creature, the dog Laika, into space aboard Sputnik 2. After ten days, the capsule successfully reentered Earth’s atmosphere with its canine passenger unharmed.

**April 12 1961:** Yuri Gagarin becomes the first Human being to leave the Earth’s atmosphere and safely return.

**May 5 1961:** American astronaut Alan Sheppard becomes the first American in space and the first to manually control his craft.

**May 19 1961:** Soviet probe Venera 1 becomes the first manmade object to perform a planetary flyby of Venus, however loss of radio contact prevents any data from being sent.

**August 6 1961:** Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov becomes the first person to spend a fully day in space.

**July 10 1962:** First active communications satellite is launched by the United States.

**August 12 1962:** Soviet cosmonaut Andriyan Nikolayev aboard Vostok 3 becomes the third person to orbit the Earth. One day later, Vostok 4 with cosmonaut Pavel Popovich aboard was launched. The two capsules came within 6.5 kilometers of one another and established successful ship-to-ship communications.

**November 4 1962:** Soviet probe **Mars 2MV-3 No. 1** is successfully launched towards Mars and successfully makes a soft-landing on the surface of the Red Planet. Initial photographic telemetry received indicates the presence of surface water and a series of unusual crystalline structures covering a majority of the planet’s surface.

**December 14 1962:** The United States’ Mariner 2 preforms a flyby of Venus. Unlike the Soviet Union’s earlier Venera 1, this mission is successful and the telemetry sent back from the probe indicates the possibility of a breathable atmosphere on Venus.

**June 16 1963:** Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman and the first civilian in space.

**June 19 1964:** The American Civil Rights Act—which would outlaw discrimination based upon gender, religion, or race—fails to pass the Senate.

**October 12 1964:** Soviet spacecraft, Voskhod 1, carries the first multi-person crew (3) into orbit.

**March 18 1965:** Soviet cosmonaut **Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov** becomes the first Human to perform an extravehicular activity (spacewalk) aboard Voskhod 2

**February 3 1966:** Soviet probe **Luna 9** becomes the first manmade object to perform a soft-landing on another celestial body (the Moon) and the second to take photographs from another celestial body.

**March 1 1966:** Soviet probe **Venera 3** successfully makes a soft-landing on Venus. Telemetry received from the probe confirms the presence of a breathable atmosphere on Venus

**September 14 1968:** Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov—the first Human to spacewalk—becomes the first Human to set foot on the Moon, signaling a Soviet victory in the Space Race.

**February, 1969:** In the wake of the Soviet Union’s moon landing, the United Nations drafts and ratifies the **Outer Space Treaty**. Under the terms of the treaty, no nation can lay claim to any celestial body, in effect rendering any and all habitable planets and moons to be international territory. In Vietnam, North Vietnamese forces continue to fight against South Vietnamese and American forces, straining U.S. resources and fueling continued civil unrest in the United States and their allies, with both sides becoming entrenched unable to gain any real ground against one another, while in the Soviet Union a series of moderates begin to gain influence in the Communist Party, signaling the possibility of political reforms within the USSR.

**December 15 1970:** Soviet probe **Venera 7** makes a soft-landing on Venus. Photographs transmitted from the probe reveal the existence of a wide variety of flora and fauna. This discovery spurns a second wave in the Space Race as both the Soviet Union and the United States scramble to become the first Humans to set foot on Venus.

**April 19 1971:** The Soviet Union launches **Salyut 1** , the first crewed space station, into orbit. The **Salyut program** becomes the stepping stone for future Soviet manned missions to Mars and Venus, and a possible return trip to the Moon.

**June 8 1975:** The Soviet Union simultaneously launches its two first manned interplanetary spacecraft, the **TMK** ( **Mezhplanetny Korabl** or **Heavy Interplanetary Spacecraft** ), the two craft each carry a crew of three, the first—designated **TMK-1** —is destined for Venus and the other—designated **TMK-2** —for Mars.

After a journey of close to ten and-a-half months, the TMK-1 spacecraft entered Venus’ orbit and deployed the **Venera 9** lander with a two-man crew. Landing successfully on the surface, the cosmonauts find a lush, swampy world teeming with a variety of life, many of which resembled dinosaurs. In addition to the wide variety of plant and animal life, the cosmonauts also find evidence of intelligent life. Deeming the animal life too potentially hostile to bring back to Earth, the cosmonauts instead take several plant samples back with them.

**October 22 1975:** The TMK-1 spacecraft successfully reenters Earth’s atmosphere and splashes down in the North Atlantic on the same day that it’s counterpart, TMK-2, enters orbit around Mars. Upon the retrieval of TMK-1 and its crew by a Soviet Navy ship, scientists from around the world clamor to study the extraterrestrial plant life brought back from Venus as the rest of world eagerly awaits news from Mars. The TMK-2 cosmonauts make a successful landing on Mars and gather several soil samples and some of the strange crystals found by the Mars 2MV-3 No. 1 probe. As on Venus, the cosmonauts find evidence that there may have been intelligent life on Mars at one point, noting the presence of what appeared to be the ruins of an advanced city in the distance.

**November 21 1975:** TMK-2 returns to Earth. The strange crystals collected by the crew are analyzed and found to naturally produce an electrical current. Although minuscule, when a large enough amount of the crystals are arranged they are found to produce a series of ‘on/off’ currents similar to binary code. Finding that the crystal can be grown on Earth work begins on the possible applications of the crystals in computer processing.

**1975—1976:** In the ensuing months following the return of both the TMK-1 and TMK-2 spacecraft, one of the plants brought back by the TMK-1 crew—a cactus-like fruit—is found to have remarkable properties; most significantly the oil extracted from the leathery skin and seeds burns much longer, stronger, and cleaner than coal or natural gas and is safer than nuclear power.

Finding that the plant, like the Martian crystals, is able to germinate in Earth’s soil, Soviet scientists begin to cultivate the alien plant, finding that it grows remarkably fast, reaching maturity in only a few weeks. The plant is also found to be edible by Humans and contains a large amount of many of the required proteins, carbohydrates, and other nutrients that the average Human needs to survive, resulting in the possibility of ending food shortages, the melon-like quality of the interior of the fruit result in it being named the **Ishtar melon** after the Ishtar plane on Venus where it was first discovered.

A further discovery is made in that the Soviet Union’s coal-burning power plants can be converted to burn the alien oil with only minor modifications. By 1976, the entire USSR is being powered by the alien substance, resulting in the Soviet Union no longer needing to rely on crude oil, either foreign or domestic. Further tests reveal that, in certain ratios, the oil—when exposed to a high-voltage electric current—produces a power burst of plasma. This particular discovery paves the way for the development of efficient, portable directed-energy weapons, while the fibers from the leathery skin can be woven into a lightweight yet extremely durable fabric that can be used for a wide variety of garments including, but not limited to, the construction of more advanced spacesuits.

The powerful discharge produced by the oil is also found to be an effective propellant in the case of surface-to-orbital rockets, allowing for the launch of much larger payloads using much less fuel, and in December of that year, the USSR launches a series of three unmanned spacecraft, each headed for the Moon, Mars, and Venus respectfully. Carried onboard each spacecraft is a small, three person base. The first launch, carrying the **Zvezda-1 Moon base** successfully deploys its payload onto the lunar surface. Its two sister ships—carrying the **Zvezda-2 Venus base** and the **Zvezda-3 Mars base** respectfully—follow suit in the following months. Although the Zvezda-2 Venus base is successfully deployed on Venus, contact is lost with the Mars base and the mission is declared a failure.

In the wake of these technological achievements, more moderate individuals in the Soviet government began to champion a series of reforms throughout the country, in particular the lessening of political restrictions and more transparency. Taking their cue, ironically, from the United States in Vietnam, these moderates argue that socialism can be achieved more easily through political reforms and policy changes rather than open armed revolution. The ensuing policies are termed _glasnost_ (“openness”) and _perestroika_ (“restructuring”) and is encouraged throughout the nations of the Warsaw Pact with varying degrees of success. 

These two policies also lead to the transformation of the Soviet Union from a one-party state into a two-party state, with politics in the USSR now being divided between the Communist Party (center-left) and the Liberal Democratic Party (center-right)

**1977:** Following the establishment of the first Moon base, the Soviet Union proudly unveils the world’s first personal computer. Named the **BK-0010** and utilizing the Martian crystals as part of its processor, the computer is as powerful as anything used by other countries but much smaller. Continuing on the policies of _glasnost_ and _perestroika_ and inspired by Japan’s burgeoning electronics industry, the USSR begins to export the computer on the international market; the resulting sales surprise its designers, most especially when NASA purchases several hundred for their own use. Using the BK-0010, NASA is able to launch its own manned Mars and Venus missions.

Taking its cue from the USSR, NASA launches two spacecraft simultaneously, although both missions are successful, NASA forgoes any attempt to land a human being on the surface of either planet owing to the increasing costs of manned space missions, instead both craft orbit their respective planets for one day and then return to Earth. Although hailed as a success by the American government, public apathy in the wake of the Soviet Union’s technological continuing victories and the ongoing Vietnam War sours the success and the missions are seen as nothing more than a footnote by most American media outlets.

Despite this, the U.S. government—using samples of Ishtar melon oil smuggled out of the Eastern Bloc by CIA agents—begins plans for the construction of a series of colony ships destined for Mars and/or Venus known as **Project Orion**.

**1978:** The Soviet Union, continuing on its success, unveils the **BK-0011M** the successor to the previous BK-0010 personal computer. The BK-0011M is much more powerful, featuring a practical artificial intelligence jokingly nicknamed **Anastasia** by its designers. Although no smarter than a domestic dog the BK-0011M is built in the form a wrist-worn device and is first used by the crew of the Zvezda-2 base on Venus when it is brought online. Crewed by three cosmonauts, the base makes headlines again one week later when the cosmonauts make first contact with the Neolithic inhabitants of Venus. Although awkward, the first contact is peaceful as are the subsequent encounters.

That same year, the United Kingdom launches its first astronaut into space. Using a combination of economic and political pressure, the Soviet Union and the UK encourage Germany to reunify under a democratic government. Alongside the United Kingdom, Canada, and Mexico, Germany becomes one of a growing number of socialist-leaning nations that, while not strictly communist, support or—at the very least—are not directly opposed to the Soviet Union.

The Zevzda-1 and Zevzda-2 bases are expanded and opened to civilian settlement, swiftly growing into full-fledged settlements.

**April 30 1979:** After twenty-four years, five months, four weeks, and one day, the Vietnam War officially comes to an end with the capture of Saigon by North Vietnamese forces, the United States becomes the final nation to withdrawal from the Southeast Asian nation its allies having pulled out of the conflict at least fourteen years earlier. The withdrawal is termed a ‘strategic retreat’ by the U.S. government but most in the public call it a defeat.

**December, 1979:** In the wake of the continued wave of victories in the fields of space exploration by the Soviet Union and the continuing civil unrest at home, the United States declares the Cold War to be over with the Soviet Union as the unequivocal victor. Despite this, the now more moderate Soviet Union offers economic support to its former foe.

**1980:** A militant anti-communist terrorist group calling itself the **Minutemen** after the historical militia from the Revolutionary War forms on the East Coast of the United States and launches several terrorist attacks. Still suffering a weakened economy in the wake of the Vietnam War, the U.S. government is forced to call upon the Soviet Union for assistance.

Although some members are captured by the joint U.S.-Soviet taskforce, the majority of the group is believed to have escaped onboard the prototype Project Orion spacecraft. The craft is believed to have successfully landed on Mars before all telemetry is lost. The success of this escape leads some to believe that anti-communist elements within the United States government may have sponsored the Minutemen and assisted in their escape, although no evidence is found.

**1981:** The Soviet Union and the United States participate in a joint manned mission to Mars. During this mission the crew finds that the Minutemen did not only survive their escape from Earth but also managed to scavenge to the remains of advanced Martian technology as well the crashed Zevzda-3 Mars base and built a functioning, if totalitarian, society for themselves in the harsh environment built upon a warped and twisted version of American ideals. Using their scavenged technology, the Minutemen successfully launch an attack on the Zvezda-1 Moon base.

In the wake of the Zvezda-1 attack, United Nations declares Mars to be off-limits to all future space travel...

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought :=)


End file.
